Gov’t to deploy 5,754 more contact tracers in Metro Manila
MANILA, Philippines — The government is set to hire and deploy over 5,000 contact tracers in Metro Manila for three months starting this May, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Sunday.
The DILG said it has inked a memorandum circular with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on the guidelines for the hiring, training and deployment a total of 5,754 contact tracers for three months with a minimum wage of P537 per day.
So far, 13,304 have applied for the position and 2,696 have been assessed and qualified.
“This deployment is part of our continuous effort to intensify our contact tracing program to contain Covid-19. Simula na ng kanilang pagtatrabaho bilang contact tracers at simula na rin ng dagdag na alalay at pag-asa para sa ating mga kababayan na makakabangon tayong muli mula sa pandemiyang ito,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.
The 5,754 new contact tracers will be allocated to the following cities:
-1,347 in Quezon City
-713 in Caloocan City
-707 in Manila
-349 in Pasig
-333 in Taguig
-302 in Parañaque
-278 in Valenzuela
-259 in Makati
-234 in Muntinlupa
-268 in Las Piñas
-209 in Marikina
-192 in Pasay
-171 in Mandaluyong
-161 in Navotas
-152 in Malabon
-47 in San Juan
-32 in Pateros
Under the memorandum circular, the P280.714 million for the hiring of the contact tracers will be sourced from DOLE under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD Program (TUPAD) program.
The DILG said it has already deployed 2,381 contact tracers in Metro Manila in January for a six-month contract until June.
It said it used the unreleased balance under the Bayanihan 2 law and the P500 million budget under the 2021 national budget. The DILG said it has deployed 15,000 contact tracers across the country in January.
Furthermore, the interior department deployed an additional 802 contact tracers composed of police officers and fire personnel from other parts of the country under the low-risk category.
As of May 1, the Philippines has 1,046,653 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 72,248 active cases, 957,051 recoveries, 17,354 deaths.
READ: PH records 9,226 new COVID-19 infections; 10,809 recoveries
